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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

for me, there is nothing as fun as making something with kiddies! the curious, creative, limitless possibilities of a child's mind is so inspiring! here's a fun new series for the rikrak studio, with lots of fun, easy, inexpensive handmaking projects for you to make with your children, your younger family members, your students or some fun kiddies you know & love (or easily adapted for adults to make as their own fun projects!) i've invited various fun folks to share a handmaking with kiddies idea with us: it might be a craft or art; a handmade excursion or handmade recipe. today is the next in the seires handmaking with kids: valentines (part 1) & chocolate truffles with guest Tiffany Teske. hope you enjoy it!

from Tiffany (all images by Tiffany Teske, as well) "I teach crafts to kids and seniors in my community, AND I get PAID! I love it! Today, I made valentine cards and truffles with my favorite seniors. I have taught the same projects to kids ages 6 - 12 years old. These are fun and doable projects for all ages if you join in the fun.

Valentine "Puffy Hearts" I LOVE tissue art. It brings me back to childhood. I love the bright colors and texture of the paper. I also find the repetitive

You will need:- Colorful tissue paper, folded as many times as you can and still cut it into 1" squares (the idea is to make many squares from minimum cuts). You can go as large as 2", but just keep in mind the larger the square, the higher they will be off the paper.- Hearts cut out of card stock, ours were about 5".- White glue- Pencil- Markers or pen for a greeting

1) It is easiest for kids to write a greeting on the card BEFORE adding the tissue paper.

2) When I do tissue art I put glue in a little bowl and dip, but for kids it seems to be easiest if they make a running bead of white glue around the piece.

3) Put the end of pencil in the middle of a square of tissue paper and wrap the paper around the end of the pencil, then push into the glue on the card, and pull out the pencil. There is no wrong way to do this. The less perfect the better. If a child doesn't have the patience to fill in the whole heart they can still make adorable cards by just putting the paper on the border of the heart.

A variation on this theme is to just put the tissue on the border and then to paste another heart on top so that the tissue paper sticks out the sides.

now the truffles!

These are not comparable to fine Belgian chocolates, but they satisfy the chocolate cravings of adults and kids alike. They are fast, easy, and yummy! No cooking required, which makes them great for a class (although you need a microwave to melt the butter). I quadruple the recipe.

1) Put crackers in a clean plastic bag. Use rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs.

2) Sift flour and cocoa into a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir in butter, cinnamon OR coffee, and vanilla.

3) Pour the crumbs into the bowl. Mix them in. Then, use your hands to squeeze the mixture into a ball.

4) Break off pieces of the mixture and roll into small balls the size of walnuts. You can roll the balls in more cocoa, icing sugar, or crushed nuts.

5) Put the finished balls onto a large plate and let cool. Then, package them up in fun Valentine bags or boxes. Give to your sweetheart and hope they will share some with you. Enjoy!"

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thanks so much for your fun ideas, Tiffany!i'm a great fan of Tiffany's beautiful photography work! it has the loveliest whimsical & etheral feel to it. her beautiful polaroid transfers, emulsion lifts & pendants would be perfect for any special occassion, or as beautiful art for any part of your home!

be sure to visit Tiffany's beautiful Etsy shop, and her wonderful blogs, where she shares tales of art, mommying, eco.living and more!

happy handmaking with kids!(stay tuned for part 2 later today, for more fun handmaking valentines ideas!)

:: welcome ::

thanks so much for visiting:: the rikrak studio ::hope you'll join me for some of the little ideas, inspirations and goings on in the world of rikrak: mommying, handmaking, eco.living, design, encouragements, fun folks, how-to's, giveaways and much much more. welcome welcome welcome, wonderful ones!